Vikings News·
Jan 31
Boys Soccer Moves to Top of Table

Boys Soccer picked up a crucial 2-0 win over Austin High to move into sole possession of 1st place. This was seen as the biggest fixture of the young district season so far, matching up two playoff teams from 2017 who entered the match in the top two places of the standings.

Lanier started brightly as energetic team pressing created a chance for Luis Lopez to play John Palma clean through on goal, and Palma’s calm finish found side netting to give Lanier a 1-0 early lead. Midway through the opening half Edgar Mejia earned a foul in a dangerous area and took responsibility for placing the resulting free kick in the back of the net to double Lanier’s advantage to 2-0.

The 2nd half was very competitive and physical, but neither side could break through. Mario Gomez created the best scoring opportunity for Lanier in transition, but his curled effort was just inches wide. The defenders entrusted with the duty of protecting Jorge Nava’s goal were immense as Michael Varela, Chris Torres, and Ivan Lopez were impressive in organizing and eliminating threats, and the few times Jorge was called into action, he produced the saves needed to keep his 2nd clean sheet of the season. The defensive effort of Agustin Ugarte though, whose tireless, disciplined marking limited the supply to Austin’s prolific center forward, provided the foundation for the victory and earned Guti credit as Man of the Match.